Career Advice: Ph.D. in AI, CS, BCS, or BScAI?

Ans: Anshika Madam, At an 80 percentile, your daughter’s expected CRL rank may be around 2.5 to 3 lakh. Even with General-EWS category, chances of admission to NITs or IIITs through JoSAA, especially for CSE or ECE, are very low. She can consider applying for lower-demand branches in some GFTIs or newer, remote institutes if seats remain vacant.

CSAB conducts special rounds after JoSAA for vacant NIT and related seats, which she should participate in.

It is highly recommended to have backup options such as AKTU/UPTAC colleges, KIET, GL Bajaj, JSS Noida, ABES, Galgotias, NIET, and private universities like Bennett, Sharda, Chandigarh University, UPES, LPU, SRM North India campuses, and VIT-AP/Bhopal. For CSE-related branches, state and private counseling routes are the more practical approach, instead of relying only on JoSAA/CSAB. All the BEST for Your Daughter's Prosperous Future!

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Ans: Sidarth, With a 93.5 percentile and a KM merit rank of 28, your Maharashtra CAP chances are strong. Maharashtra CET rules treat J&K/Ladakh Migrant candidates separately, and for engineering admissions, a positive JEE Main score is given preference over MHT-CET scores.

You should aggressively fill choices including COEP Pune, VJTI Mumbai, SPIT Mumbai, PICT Pune, DJ Sanghvi, Walchand Sangli, Cummins, PCCOE, VIT Pune, and MIT-WPU. With a KM rank of 28, admission to top colleges is possible. However, CSE/IT in COEP, VJTI, SPIT, or PICT may be uncertain due to limited seats. Branches like ECE, AI-DS, ENTC, or IT in strong colleges are more realistic options. VJTI’s 2024 closing ranks indicate that CSE/IT branches remain highly competitive.

Regarding NITs, there is no general Kashmiri Migrant quota through JoSAA, as admissions follow CRL/category/HS-OS rules. The CSAB supernumerary quota in 2025 applied only to specific UT candidates, not broadly to KM. Nonetheless, it’s advisable to participate in JoSAA and CSAB counseling rounds.

Also, consider having 3-4 backup options to keep your chances secure. All the BEST for Your Prosperous Future!

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Ans: Based on your daughter's score, admission to IGDTUW is possible mainly in later rounds or spot rounds. For example, in 2023 Round-5 Delhi cutoffs (approximate), CSE closed around 58,531, IT at 66,326, AIML at 71,162, ECE at 90,900, and MAE at 1,03,589, making ECE and MAE more realistic options, while CSE and IT would be difficult.

Regarding Thapar Institute, the chances are better. In 2024, later cutoffs for Punjab quota showed Computer Engineering around 92,826 and ECE around 97,890, with some allied branches going much lower. For candidates outside Punjab, core CSE is tougher, but ECE, Electronics, and related branches in lower rounds could be worth applying for.

At LNMIIT, CSE admission is unlikely due to high JEE percentile expectations, but ECE might still be possible.

Consider IPU Delhi as a backup, along with reputable colleges like USICT, MAIT, MSIT, BVCOE, and BPIT, which have decent placement records. For detailed placement data, please check the respective college websites and online resources.

Other backup options to explore include JIIT Noida, Shiv Nadar University, UPES, Manipal Jaipur, Bennett University, and Chandigarh University. All the BEST for Your Daughter's Prosperous Future!

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Ans: Jagdish Sir, Based on your daughter's score, realistic chances for CSE or related branches may be found in lower-demand NITs and IIITs, primarily through the female quota and in later JoSAA or CSAB rounds. Institutes like NIT Mizoram, NIT Meghalaya, NIT Nagaland, NIT Arunachal Pradesh, and NIT Sikkim are worth trying, though CSE admission remains borderline.

In IIITs, options such as IIIT Bhagalpur, IIIT Ranchi, IIIT Kalyani, IIIT Una, IIIT Sri City, IIIT Nagpur, IIIT Dharwad, and IIIT Kottayam could be considered. While CSE might be challenging, branches like IT, ECE, or AI-related fields may be more attainable depending on how seat availability shifts round by round.

Additionally, reviewing JoSAA opening and closing ranks from the past 2–3 years can provide valuable insights and help your daughter confidently select and fill her preferred and maximum number of choices. Have 3-4 reputed private engineering colleges also as backup options. All the BEST for Your Daughter's Prosperous Future!

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Ans: Korampally, with your score, securing ECE in any NIT is extremely unlikely. You may try for lower-preference branches if you still want to pursue an NIT. However, it's important to have 3-4 backup options beyond JoSAA and CSAB counseling rounds, so you’re not relying solely on those for admission. ALL the BEST for Your Prosperous Future!

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Ans: You have not mentioned your son's home state. Anyway, please note he may get core or non-core branches in newer or lower-tier NITs, some IIITs, and GFTIs, especially in later JoSAA rounds, depending on the home-state quota and branch preferences. He can also target Tier-3 and Tier-4 NITs such as NIT Sikkim, NIT Manipur, NIT Nagaland, and NIT Arunachal for branches like Mechanical, Civil, EIE, Production, Metallurgy, and similar fields.

Additionally, exploring IIITs outside the top 5—such as IIIT Bhagalpur, IIIT Kalyani, IIIT Surat, and IIIT Kottayam—through JoSAA or CSAB rounds can be worthwhile.

Parallel options to consider include the CSAB Special Round, state government engineering colleges, and reputable private institutes in or near your home state. ALL the BEST for Your Prosperous Future!

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Ans: Gaurav Sir, Based on your son's score, he can tentatively target mid-tier and newer NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs such as NIT Goa, NIT Sikkim, NIT Mizoram, IIIT Sonepat, IIIT Bhopal, IIIT Una, IIIT Kalyani, and some other GFTIs. In recent years, the ECE closing ranks for the Common Rank List (CRL) in these institutes have crossed 50,000 to 80,000, especially during the later rounds of counseling. These options could provide a realistic chance for admission in ECE. Have CSAB rounds and other 3-4 Private Engineering Colleges in and around Delhi as backup options. ALL the BEST for Your Son's Prosperous Future!

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Ans: Atharva, before answering your question, I want to emphasize that all branches are good. It’s important to choose based on your interest. However, also be adaptable, as your interests might change by the 2nd or 3rd year, and consider job market trends as well.

Regarding your rank of 91,850 (General category, Maharashtra HS quota), securing CSE or ECE in top central institutes like VNIT Nagpur is highly unlikely. Other NITs, IIITs, and GFTIs (such as NIT Jalandhar and IIIT Nagpur) also have closing ranks for CSE typically between 15,000 and 30,000, so admission there for CSE/ECE is not realistic.

State options like COEP Pune or VJTI Mumbai are even more competitive and likely out of reach with this rank. You can explore lower-tier GFTIs (e.g., those related to BIT Mesra) or Maharashtra state seats through MHT-CET for IT or ECE branches as alternative options. Try through CSAB rounds also. ALL the BEST for Your Prosperous Future!

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Ans: You should show Interest earned during F/Y 2025-26, while filing ITR for the same period. However, this interest earned is tax free. No other Tax implication is there & you may reinvest or use this amount withdrawn, in any way you like.
Most Welcome for further clarifications, if any. Thanks.